In February 2002, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a First Report and Order (“Order”) (FCC 02-48) that permits the marketing and operation of certain types of new products incorporating ultra wide band (“UWB”) technology. Specifically, the Order permits the use of 7.5 GHz of frequency spectrum, from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz, for a class of unlicensed devices termed ultra wide band devices. These UWB devices are required to use very short duration electromagnetic wave pulses that result in very large or wideband transmission bandwidths. Those familiar with the communications art recognize that the use of short radio time domain pulses of this nature open up a wide range of potential communication applications. Such transmission schemes also permit wireless communications at a very high speed, on the order of hundreds of megabits per second, and perhaps even gigabits per second.
Under the FCC UWB regulatory definitions there are three types of permitted UWB devices:                1) Imaging Systems—These include Ground Penetrating Radars (GPRs) and imaging devices for through-wall surveillance, and medical purposes. GPRs must be operated below 960 MHz or in the frequency band 3.1-10.6 GHz. GPRs operate only when in contact with, or within close proximity of, the ground for the purpose of detecting or obtaining images of buried objects. The energy from the GPR is intentionally directed down into the ground for this purpose. Wall imaging systems must also be operated below 960 MHz or in the frequency band 3.1-10.6 GHz. Wall imaging systems are designed to detect the location of objects or movement of persons or objects contained within a “wall,” such as a concrete structure, the side of a bridge, or the wall of a mine. Surveillance systems operate as “security fences” by providing a stationary RF perimeter to detect the intrusion of persons or objects within that perimeter. The frequency band operation allowed is 1.99-10.6 GHz. Medical imaging systems are used for a variety of health applications to “see” inside the body of a person or animal. These devices must be operated in the frequency band 3.1-10.6 GHz.        2) Vehicular Radar Systems—These systems operate in the 22-29 GHz band using directional antennas on terrestrial transportation vehicles, provided that the center frequency of the emission and the frequency at which the highest radiated emission occurs are greater than 24.075 GHz. These devices are able to detect the location and movement of objects near a vehicle. They can be used for vehicular functions such as near-collision avoidance, improved airbag activation, and suspension systems that better respond to road conditions.        3) Communications and Measurement Systems—Communications and measurement systems are used by a wide variety of applications, such as high-speed home and business networking devices as well as measurement devices. The devices must operate in the frequency band 3.1-10.6 GHz. The equipment must be designed to ensure that operation can only occur indoors or in connection with hand-held devices that may be employed for such activities as peer-to-peer operation.        
The FCC Order imposes significantly more stringent unwanted emission limits for UWB devices than those imposed on other existing FCC Part 15 unlicensed band devices. The Order further limits the outdoor use of UWB devices to imaging systems, vehicular radar systems and hand-held devices. The frequency band of operation is based on the −10 dB bandwidth of the UWB emission.